The Perfect Present
by Kristen3
Summary: Daphne runs into an unexpected problem when she goes into Niles' favorite wine shop to buy him a Christmas gift. But sometimes, the memories made on the holiday are worth more than the gifts given. Rating is for slight innuendo.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **I'm still working on my plan to give some Christmas present stories to the wonderful friends I've met on this site, butt I decided to do this story without dedicating it to anyone. It's based on a a real-life experience. I never expected the story to be this long, but you know how it is! Happy holidays, everyone! :)

"Me husband's going to love this," Daphne said to the cashier as she placed the expensive bottle of wine on the counter.

"I'm sure he will, Mrs. Crane. Dr. Crane's been asking for weeks when we would get a shipment of this vintage. Believe me, you definitely got the perfect Christmas gift!"

Daphne blushed. "Well, Niles and I have such different interests, it's hard to know what to buy him. Luckily, me brother-in-law knows a thing or two about wine, and I did a bit of research online." Just as Daphne handed over her credit card, she glanced out the window in the shop's front door. There was no mistaking the man approaching. "Bloody hell. That's Niles. He can't see me here!"

"Don't panic, Mrs. Crane. Just hide in there, and I'll take care of him." The cashier pointed toward the small office located at the back of the store.

Without a word, Daphne nodded gratefully at the young man, then quickly left the room.

"Good afternoon, James," Niles said as he entered his favorite specialty wine shop. "Do you have anything for me?"

"No, I'm afraid we don't. Just the usual bottles that I know you already have."

Niles let out a frustrated sigh. "How can this be? I read on the internet this morning that you had gotten a shipment of that rare wine that I've been looking for for weeks!"

"We did, but I'm afraid you're late, Dr. Crane. Someone just bought the last of it a few minutes ago."

"I've been a loyal patron of this shop for years, and this is how I'm treated?!" Niles felt his blood pressure skyrocket. "This is an outrage. You _do_ know that I'm a well-respected member of Seattle's largest wine club, right? Shouldn't that mean something?"

For a moment, James considered telling Dr. Crane the truth. He'd never expected this reaction. But he thought of poor Mrs. Crane, wanting so desperately to do something special for her husband. He couldn't ruin her surprise. "I'm sorry, Dr. Crane, but you never reserved a bottle. We had to sell on a first-come, first-serve basis. That's how it works."

Niles saw that he wasn't getting anywhere. "Well, if that's how you do business, then I guess I'll be finding a new wine shop. Luckily, there's more than one in Seattle." With that, Niles angrily left the store.

Daphne waited till she was sure the coast was clear before emerging from her hiding spot. "I never thought he'd get that angry over a bottle of wine!"

"Neither did I!" James agreed. "I hated lying to him like that, but I know how important this was to you. Dr. Crane's a good customer, and you seem like a nice person. You deserve to have a nice Christmas."

Daphne smiled as she once again handed over her credit card. "Well, thank you. You have a good holiday as well." She squeezed James' hand before leaving.


	2. Chapter 2

Niles left the wine shop feeling frustrated and shocked. How could a store stay in business after treating a loyal customer that way? But he resisted the urge to brood about it. He tried to tell himself it didn't matter, but it was no use. One of the rarest bottles of wine was gone, and by a matter of moments.

There was only one thing that could get his mind off the situation. Just thinking of his precious son, David, Niles instantly felt calmer. The baby was spending the morning with his grandfather and step-grandmother. The plan had been for David to be there most of the day, giving his parents a chance to run errands and Christmas shop without worrying about taking care of an infant. Right now, though, Niles felt like a little father-son bonding might be in order.

"Niles, what brings you here?" Ronee asked when she opened the door. "I thought we were going to have David till the afternoon."

"Well, I just had a rather bad experience at my favorite wine shop, so I thought maybe I'd spend some time with my wonderful son instead."

"Come in, your father's trying to teach him all about baseball. I told Marty he's just a baby, but, you know your dad!"

Niles laughed as he followed her into the living room. There Martin sat, his grandson in his arms. "You see, David? That's called a home run!" Martin cheered as his beloved Mariners scored.

"Hi, Dad."

Martin was startled by his son's voice. "Oh, hey, Niles. I was just watching a game with my favorite guy!"

"I can see that," Niles answered. "I know how much you love spending time with David, but I wanted to take him home now, if that's OK."

There was no hiding the disappointment Martin felt. "But this is just the first inning. The Mariners just scored, and I was telling David that they're going to keep it up! I know you don't believe me, but he loves this game."

For a moment, Niles almost considered going back home without his son. Martin had missed so much of Freddy's growing-up years, and everyone knew he wanted to do things differently this time. But when Niles thought about his experience at the wine shop, he just couldn't do it. He could feel the anger coming back, and he knew that his precious boy would be the only one who could make him forget about it. "Dad, please," he said, not even caring if this seemed crazy.

"Well, all right, son, if it means that much to you." Martin carefully stood, making sure David was secure in his arms. With his free hand, he grabbed his cane and walked over to where Niles stood. "Here you go."

Niles immediately took the baby from his father. As soon as David was in his arms, he felt himself relax. As he kissed his son's soft forehead, he felt his anger vanish. "Thanks, Dad. I was just at the wine shop earlier, and I was all set to buy one of the rarest bottles of wine in the world. But they sold the last of it to someone else."

"Look, son, I'm sorry. I know how you feel about your wines, but that's not really the end of the world."

Niles nodded. "I know, Dad. I just needed to see David to be reminded of that."


	3. Chapter 3

Once Daphne returned home, she carefully placed the bottle of wine in a box and wrapped it before placing it under the tree. As she did so, she thought of how much the wine had cost. Not just financially, but also the deception she'd used in order to surprise Niles. She knew he would be angry when he came home, and it would not be easy to keep quiet about what had happened. But she knew the look on her husband's face when he opened this gift on Christmas would be more than worth it.

Niles smiled as he looked down at David's sweet face. He couldn't believe how much he loved this child. "I know I'll be proud of you no matter what you do when you grow up," he whispered to his son. "I hope you always work hard so that you can be happy and successful. But please don't get too caught up in material possessions. I know I do that sometimes, but what really matters to me is you and your mom. Never forget that, David." After one more kiss on the cheek, Niles took out his key and entered the apartment.

"Oh, darling, you're home!" Daphne tried to act as naturally as possible.

"Yes. I was out shopping, but I began to miss our sweet boy. My trip to the wine shop did not go as planned." He couldn't help sighing as he recalled what had happened.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Daphne said, walking toward him. "Why don't I take David for awhile, and you can go upstairs and lie down? Once I get him settled, I'll come up and see if I can make you forget about wine, at least for a while." She grinned.

"That sounds perfect, my love." He kissed her. "I was rather angry when I left the shop, but David calmed me right down."

"He always cheers me up whenever I'm blue." Daphne smiled as she took her son from him. "What happened?"

"I went in to buy that bottle of wine I've been talking about, and James informed me that he'd sold the last bottle just before I got there!"

"Well, I'm sure whoever bought it must've had a good reason to want it," Daphne replied, feeling nervous.

"What really made me mad was the fact that James knew how much I wanted that bottle. Doesn't a customer's loyalty mean anything these days?"

Daphne saw that her husband was getting angry again. "Darling, once you go lie down for awhile, I'm sure you'll feel a lot better. Just try to relax. It's Christmastime. I'm sure David wouldn't want his father to be feeling like this on his very first holiday!"

"You're right, my love. What would I ever do without you here to keep me in line?" Niles kissed his wife before walking up the stairs.

Daphne watched him go, then turned her attention to the boy in her arms. "Oh, David, I love your dad so much. He takes such wonderful care of us, which is why I wanted to buy him the perfect Christmas present. But it didn't work out the way I wanted it to. I don't know if I can wait till Christmas to give him his gift and tell him how sorry I am for what he went through today. I know how he feels about his wines." Somehow, unburdening herself to the baby made her feel better. David's smile made Daphne fall in love with her son all over again.

Once David was napping in his crib, Daphne went to join her husband. She found him in bed, wide awake and staring at the ceiling. "Darling?" she asked.

Niles turned to her. "I tried to sleep, but I've just been lying here, asking myself why I get so worked up over these things. I know it isn't right, but I can't seem to help it. It's a good thing none of my patients are here to hear that!"

"Oh, darling, you mustn't be so hard on yourself. Everyone goes a bit crazy now and then. Why, I can remember your brother ranting on for hours whenever his wine collection was insulted. Just try not to think about it. In a few days, we'll be celebrating our first holiday with our very own precious miracle."

Niles took his wife in his arms. "I must be the luckiest man alive. Most people would be glad to spend Christmas with one angel, but I've got two this year. I can't thank you enough, Daphne."

For one brief moment, Daphne considered telling him the truth, but she pushed the thought aside. She gave in to the romantic mood, and soon they had both forgotten about everything but each other.

As the days passed, Niles mentioned the incident less and less, and his mood definitely improved. He began to get into the holiday spirit as he helped Daphne prepare for the big day.

On Christmas morning, both Niles and Daphne woke with excitement. Daphne went to wake her son, knowing this was something she'd never forget. She and Niles made their way to the tree. Martin and Ronee would be joining them later, but for now, it would be just the three of them opening a few presents. The quiet in the house made the moment even more magical.

"Well, my love, would you like to open the first gift?" Niles asked, holding out a small box toward her.

"It's sweet of you to offer, but I'd really rather you opened one of yours first." Niles looked at his wife in confusion. Daphne got up and went over to the tree, retrieving the box she'd wrapped days ago.

Niles took the package from her, completely baffled. "Are you sure?"

Daphne nodded. "It's been killing me to keep this a secret these past few days."

"All right then, my love. I can't wait to see what it is, but I already know I love it because it came from you!" He smiled at her as he began to remove the wrapping paper. When he'd exposed the box, he opened it, letting out a huge gasp when he saw the bottle's label. "How did you get this?"

"Remember when you said the shop sold the last of the wine before you got there?" Daphne asked. "I was the one they sold it to. I hid in the office when I saw you coming in."

"You went to all that trouble just for me?" Niles asked in disbelief.

Daphne nodded. "Of course, my darling. Frasier helped me decide what to get, and then I did a bit of research online. I felt awful for lying to you all this time, but I wanted to get you the perfect gift. You do so much for me, and for David. I just want you to know how much I love you."

Niles held her face in his hands. "Oh, my love, I find myself amazed each day by the simple fact that you're in my life. After wishing and praying so hard for the chance to love you for even a moment, this life that we share now is more than a dream come true. No one has ever done anything like this for me before."

Daphne barely had time to wipe a tear from her eye before Niles kissed her. In that moment, they both forgot everything else. All of the stress of preparing for the holiday simply melted away. Soon, their family would be here, and there would be many more memories made as gifts were unwrapped. Most likely, years from now, they would tell David about his first Christmas. But Niles and Daphne both knew that they would treasure this private memory far more than anything they might find underneath the tree.

**The End**


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